Bible Commentaries

A servant of the church. A class of female officers is supposed to have existed in the early Christian church. The name here translated servant corresponds to the word deaconess.--Cenchrea. This was the eastern port of Corinth,--that is, the one communicating with the Egean Sea,--and was at a distance of a few miles from the city. The mention of Phebe as the bearer of the Epistle, confirms the supposition that this Epistle was written while Paul was at Corinth.

Priscilla, and Aquila. The circumstances attending Paul's first acquaintance with them are stated Acts 18:2,3. They were then at Corinth. It appears that they had now returned to Rome.

Laid down their own necks; exposed themselves to the most imminent dangers.

The church that is in their house. It is uncertain whether this is to be understood as referring to the Christian members of their family, or to a religious assembly accustomed to convene in their house. A similar expression is used in connection with them in 1 Corinthians 16:19.--The first fruits of Achaia. The first convert from Achaia.

My kinsmen; meaning, perhaps his fellow-countrymen.--Fellow-prisoners. They had been joined with him at some one of the numerous occasions on which Paul had been imprisoned.

His mother and mine; intimating that she had been a mother to him in kindness and regard.

Their own belly; their own earthly and carnal propensities.

Timotheus; Timothy, who was at this time Paul's companion, as appears from Acts 20:4.--Lucius; probably Luke, the author of one of the Gospels, and of the book of the Acts, who includes himself in Paul's company at this time in narrating his history. (Acts 20:5.) There was, however, another Lucius, a Cyrenian, mentioned Acts 13:1.

Who wrote this epistle; at Paul's dictation. The forms of the letters, and the nature of the writing materials, employed in ancient times, made writing much more laborious then, than it is now. Paul seems generally to have employed an amanuensis.

Mine host; at Corinth. For some further account of Gaius, see 1 Corinthians 1:14. The 3 John 1:1 was addressed to an individual of this name.--The chamberlain; the treasurer.

Written to the Romans, &c. Many of the Epistles have notes of this sort appended to them, evidently by a later hand, as of course they could not have originally formed a part of the Epistle. When and by whom they were added, is not known. They are not considered as forming a part of, the inspired volume, and are, accordingly, sometimes omitted.